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He hit .429 after the all-star break. He has said that he is now a better hitter than he used to be, and I think it is not just an idle boast. He said he used to hit, but not really understand why he was hitting, and now he understands why, if that makes any sense.

Other factoids about his season include:
He had more hits in August than April and June combined.
He hit .404 against lefties (most hitters hit better against the opposite handed pitchers, I don't know why this does not hold true for Ichiro, it has been the same in past years too.).
He hit .405 away from Safeco. (What if he hit in a hitters ballpark?)

The realist in me says that it's one thing to have a good half a year, but a whole year is a whole other animal. But part of me still wonders if he hit .429 in the second half, can make a run at .400 next year? Anyway, I'm looking forward to finding out next year.

Now I find that impressive, since he comes from a last place team, where half the lineup couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with a shotgun, let alone hit a ball (and no I am not from the country - just an expression I have picked up ).

Now while it does not seem likely that he will win the MVP, this here helps to show how valuable he was. And it would not be out of the question for a player on a last place team to win the MVP, since just last year, A-Rod won it while in Texas.

As a fan of baseball, I do not necessarily believe he deserves it, but I also would not think it totally out of the question. Especially since all of the attention he has received from chasing and breaking the hits record, and is generally liked by fans and press alike.

Apparantly we should all listen to you, since you had the answer on 8-17-04 at 7:59 PM - a long time before everyone else knew

(It was just the 3rd post in this forum - check it out, it's true!!! )

No you probably shouldn't listen to me, at the start of the LCS my brother asked me who would be in the WS, my answer...NY vs Houston!
Usually the only predictions that come true are things like "this season the brewers will suck" and the like.

No you probably shouldn't listen to me, at the start of the LCS my brother asked me who would be in the WS, my answer...NY vs Houston!
Usually the only predictions that come true are things like "this season the brewers will suck" and the like.

Now I find that impressive, since he comes from a last place team, where half the lineup couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with a shotgun, let alone hit a ball (and no I am not from the country - just an expression I have picked up ).

Now while it does not seem likely that he will win the MVP, this here helps to show how valuable he was. And it would not be out of the question for a player on a last place team to win the MVP, since just last year, A-Rod won it while in Texas.

As a fan of baseball, I do not necessarily believe he deserves it, but I also would not think it totally out of the question. Especially since all of the attention he has received from chasing and breaking the hits record, and is generally liked by fans and press alike.

But as a lifelong Mariner's fan, he's got my vote!

Do you know how the "newest version of Runs Created" is calculated?
I vaguely remember the original version, which was based I think on hits, walks and total bases. Therefore it is a stat that is not influenced by how the other teammates perform. The fact he did so well is impressive and indicates that he would have scored a lot more runs if the guys hitting behind him had been reasonably productive.

I'm also wondering now what to make of Ichiro's second half. Is it simply a hot streak or a fluke, or did he really take his game to the next level? And if he did take his game to the next level, can he stay there next year?

I'm also wondering now what to make of Ichiro's second half. Is it simply a hot streak or a fluke, or did he really take his game to the next level? And if he did take his game to the next level, can he stay there next year?

To answer your first question, I do not, but I will try to find out.

Also, I do not believe (and sure as heck hope) it was a fluke, and I expect to see more of this from him.

If you listen to some interviews from him, he talks about how he has a better understanding of baseball, and he knows what he is doing.

I see it like what is happening with Barry Bonds (not going to deal with the steroids issue right not) is amazing. He is seeing and hitting the ball better than just about anyone - EVER. Be it whether he used steroids, or not, he is doing things we never thought we would see.

In a scenario that I can better understand, I play the saxaphone, and I love it, but I am not great (good, but not great). There are fundamental differences between me and a professional (good looks, cool name, fans, etc... ). They UNDERSTAND the music, they know what to do. All I can do is read the notes on a page, and a bit of improvising - to them, music is a "pink elephant". Most hitters swing the bat, and every 3-4 times up to the plate, they connect. Then there are those such as Bonds and Ichiro who do more than just swing, they $%&*($^%* (I have yet to find the word for what they do - I am going to read a thesaurus and get back to it).

P.S. Do not take what I said about my music as saying that I am futilly trying to hold on to something that I can't do. I truly can play the saxaphone, and am not half bad - not naturally talented, but I still love it. I also cut a couple of CD's with a group a couple years back - unfortunately it did not sell, and I probably own the only one in the world.

In addition to strikeouts and walks, the 2004 THT Baseball Annual will include the distribution of batted ball types for each batter with at least 100 plate appearances. We'll specifically list his percent of PA's that resulted in strikeouts, walks, groundballs, flyballs, line drives and other (usually bunts). As an example, let's look at Ichiro's line, compared to the major league average:

Ichiro achieved his success by hitting a huge proportion of groundballs (at 53%, the highest rate in the majors) and legging them out. It's also worth noting that he hit more than his share of line drives, and eschewed the flyball and strikeout.

He hit .429 after the all-star break. He has said that he is now a better hitter than he used to be, and I think it is not just an idle boast. He said he used to hit, but not really understand why he was hitting, and now he understands why, if that makes any sense.

Other factoids about his season include:
He had more hits in August than April and June combined.
He hit .404 against lefties (most hitters hit better against the opposite handed pitchers, I don't know why this does not hold true for Ichiro, it has been the same in past years too.).
He hit .405 away from Safeco. (What if he hit in a hitters ballpark?)

The realist in me says that it's one thing to have a good half a year, but a whole year is a whole other animal. But part of me still wonders if he hit .429 in the second half, can make a run at .400 next year? Anyway, I'm looking forward to finding out next year.

That's nothin'- check out his CAREER splits. .524 with the bases loaded (yes, that isn't a typo), and .384 lifetime with RISP.

So it is the offseason, but does anybody here know what Ichiro is up to these days? I mean, is he still here in the states? Or did he go back home in Japan?

If anyone knows, it would be great to hear.

P.S. Even though he was on a last place team that nearly lost 100 games, he was still in the top 10 for MVP

I am not aware of him returning to Japan, but I'm just not sure. He's been interviewed on Japanese TV several times, but where the interviews took place I am not sure. I suspect he will come to Japan at some point if he is not here already. It would be a news item (Yesterday Hideki Matsui arrived, and that was in the news.) But it is possible that I missed the news.

csh19792001: His career splits are quite impressive. I wonder why he hits lefties better than righties though. I wonder how common it is for a player to hit the same-handed pitchers better than the opposite-handed pitchers?

I am not aware of him returning to Japan, but I'm just not sure. He's been interviewed on Japanese TV several times, but where the interviews took place I am not sure. I suspect he will come to Japan at some point if he is not here already. It would be a news item (Yesterday Hideki Matsui arrived, and that was in the news.) But it is possible that I missed the news.

csh19792001: His career splits are quite impressive. I wonder why he hits lefties better than righties though. I wonder how common it is for a player to hit the same-handed pitchers better than the opposite-handed pitchers?

It's extremely rare- look through the ledgers, and you'll see just what an abberation it really is. I can't figure it.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo, Orix Buffaloes player Yoshitomo Tani and wife Ryoko, a six-time world champion judoka, were also among the 400 guests who gathered at an Osaka hotel to honor the 69-year-old newly appointed manager of the Orix Buffaloes. (Kyodo News)

Of course, He could get more AB's, which would in turn give him more hits, which could mean 250+ hits again. I also guessed very conservative on the Runs, but with the new power behind him (almost like 2001), he could get quite a few more - 115+ Runs. I see him getting a few more HR's - they will just "occur" naturally. As long as they allow him to do his thing, his SB's may pick up, but I did guess high, but expect at least 35 SB's. According to things Ichiro has said about knowing what to do when hitting, he could easily hit at a higher BA - some have mentioned .400+ BA.

Ichiro testimonial litho

Meaningless Record by an Insignificant Figure

When Ichiro was going for the hit record last year, I heard a radio sports show hosts state that the hits record was a meaningless record and that George Sisler was an insignificant, long forgotten, player in the history of baseball. In fact, I heard it both in Chicago and in Detroit by different hosts. Just that alone makes them unworthy of even talking baseball in my book. I just wish that one city could just have one hosts who has some knowledge in the game and history than the one's I usually have to listen to.

When Ichiro was going for the hit record last year, I heard a radio sports show hosts state that the hits record was a meaningless record and that George Sisler was an insignificant, long forgotten, player in the history of baseball. In fact, I heard it both in Chicago and in Detroit by different hosts. Just that alone makes them unworthy of even talking baseball in my book. I just wish that one city could just have one hosts who has some knowledge in the game and history than the one's I usually have to listen to.

Notice my location....

"He can get 10 hits in five at-bats." -Joe Torre, exasperated after seeing Ichiro hit a routine ground ball to shortstop and cross first with an infield single.